Maternity Leave

Paid temporary disability absence from three weeks before to six to ten weeks after birth (or more) based on medical certification that a faculty member is unable to perform her work. Faculty members are expected to take advantage of this benefit.

Workload Relief

One semester of workload relief from classroom teaching and administrative committee work, or two semesters of half relief from such duties. The faculty member's responsibilities for research, student consultation and advising remain unchanged. Up to one year of such relief is allowed for each of two children.

Extension of Term

Upon request, extension by one year of the term of appointment of an assistant professor of either sex, after the birth or adoption of a child. A second extension (in the second term of an assistant professor's appointment) is permitted for a second child.

Unpaid Parenting Leave

Up to a year of unpaid parenting leave, for parents of either sex.

In most cases, a maternity disability starts about three weeks before the scheduled delivery date and ends about six to ten weeks after the actual delivery date. This determination is based on the attending physician's certification and covers the period during pregnancy or after childbirth when a faculty member is physically unable to perform her regular duties. Like any other disability, however, a full 26 weeks of disability absence is available when there are medical complications for the faculty member during the pregnancy or following childbirth. During a temporary disability absence, benefits remain in effect.

If the disability due to pregnancy and childbirth starts with 14 days of the normal ten month pay cycle or within 14 days of the last day worked prior to an unpaid leave of absence, the disability benefit is paid by Princeton University's Temporary Disability Plan and is equal to the regular ten month base salary. If the disability begins after the 14 day grace period, the faculty member is eligible to apply for benefits from the New Jersey state plan. The benefit paid from the state plan is based on the New Jersey state benefit formula.

Current policy does not provide a paid leave of absence for a male faculty member during the period of his spouse's pregnancy or following childbirth. However, the University is willing to work with families in developing flexible work hours during the periods of delivery and illness, if any.

Notification

It is important to notify the department chair as soon as possible of the scheduled delivery date so that arrangements can be made for the absence. The need for an extended absence should be discussed with the department chair, who will notify the Dean of the Faculty. At the start of the absence due to pregnancy, the faculty member will be asked to secure a medical certificate from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty which the attending physician must complete. The certification requests the anticipated delivery date and a statement from the physician certifying the individual's inability to work. This certificate should be updated every three to four weeks during the disability.

Within 31 days after the birth of the child, the Office of Human Resources, 1 New South Building, (609) 258-3300, should be contacted by letter or telephone to request the proper enrollment forms to make changes in the following benefits coverages:

Health Care Plan--The newborn child is eligible to be covered under the faculty member's current health insurance plan.

Supplemental Life Insurance Plan--In addition to the basic group term life insurance plan coverage (provided at no cost by the University), the faculty member may purchase supplemental life insurance coverage. Current participants in the supplemental life insurance plan may change the amount and type of coverage.

Expense Accounts--The faculty member may enroll in or change the amount of current deferrals to a Health Benefit Expense Account (HBEA) or Dependent Care Expense Account (DCEA).

Return to Work Procedure

When the faculty member is ready to resume her duties, the department chair will notify the Dean of the Faculty. A faculty member who delivers her child by cesarean section should report to the McCosh Health Center before returning to work. An appointment with the University's physician or nurse for Occupational Medicine may be made by calling (609) 258-5035. Otherwise, reporting to the McCosh Health Center after the birth of the child is not required.

Each health care plan offered through Princeton University provides coverage for pregnancy and childbirth. Participants should refer to their plan booklets for specifics on the level and type of coverage that is provided under each plan.

Coverage for the Child

The faculty member must contact the Office of Human Resources, 1 New South Building, (609) 258-3300, within 31 days following the child's birth to enroll the child in the faculty member's health care plan. If the child is not enrolled during the first 31 days, no health care plan coverage will be available until the following January 1. In order to initiate coverage on January 1, the faculty member will need to enroll the child during the annual Open Enrollment Period (October-November).

Princeton's workload relief policy permits one semester of workload relief from classroom teaching and administrative committee work, or two semesters of half relief from such duties. The faculty member's responsibilities for research, student consultation and advising remain unchanged. Up to one year of such relief will be allowed for each of two children. Workload relief is not considered a leave. It allows for a release of teaching and other administrative duties at full salary (for one term of full relief) or half salary (for two terms of half relief) in order to provide relief to faculty members faced with the additional demands of being primary care-giver to an infant during the critical first year of life.

Individuals eligible for these benefits include all full-time faculty in the ranks of professor, associate professor, assistant professor, and senior lecturer. To qualify for workload relief, the faculty member must be the parent primarily responsible for the care of a newborn child or newly adopted infant less than one year of age. Normally the first semester of workload relief will be the semester in which the birth or adoption takes place, or the temporary disability leave for childbirth is completed. If that event occurs between semesters when classes are not in session, the first semester of the workload relief will be the following semester.

A faculty member wishing to request workload relief for parenting under this plan should inform his or her department chair in writing, normally at least three months before the start of the first semester in relief. Details of the workload must be decided in consultation with the chair.

To enable the Office of the Dean of the Faculty to accommodate and track these workload relief requests, we ask that the Chair complete a Workload Relief Request Form (available on the web or from the Office of the Dean of the Faculty) and forward that from along with the faculty member's written request to the Dean.

An Assistant Professor who becomes the parent of a child by birth or adoption during the first or second year of the first three-year term as an Assistant Professor at Princeton shall be granted a one-year extension of the three-year term upon request to the Dean of the Faculty. In addition, a reappointed Assistant Professor who becomes a parent of a child by birth or adoption during any subsequent year, other than the final one of appointment as Assistant Professor, shall be granted a one-year extension of the second three-year term upon request to the Dean of the Faculty. The maximum number of extensions an Assistant Professor may receive for childbirth and/or adoption is two. Requests for such extensions should be made in writing to the Dean of the Faculty as soon as possible after the childbirth and/or adoption, but in no case later than September 15th of the year in which a recommendation on the Assistant Professor's reappointment or promotion to tenure must be made.

Benefits During a Leave of Absence for Childrearing

Princeton University provides for the continuation of health, life insurance, and other benefits during a leave of absence without pay. If you are paying a premium for any of these coverages, you will be billed by the University while on leave.

Under the provisions of the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA), a faculty member who has completed at least one year of service may take unpaid leave for the care of a newborn, adoption, or placement of a child for approved foster care. This leave must be taken within the first year of birth, adoption, or placement and normally in one continuous period of up to 12 weeks.

In addition, members of the Faculty who work 50 percent or greater duty time for appointments of five months or more are entitled to apply for a leave of absence without pay in connection with the rearing of a child ("Parental Leave") whether or not there is a recent birth or adoption. Upon recommendation of the department, these leaves are approved by the Dean of the Faculty for one year, although a second year can be approved in appropriate.

Individual arrangements for a parental leave, including the handling of courses, advising, and other faculty duties, should also be arranged directly with the department chair, who, when necessary, will consult with the Dean of the Faculty.